Moshe Rabbeinu ( Moses) is the man who walked between Heaven and Earth. He is the man who spoke to G-d as men speak to each other, panim el panim, that is to say, “face to face.” This is the man who walked into the fiery mountain and felt the Glory of G- d pass over him. This man at the end of his life had but one request, one final plea:
Pray let me cross over and see the good land that is on the other side of the Jordan , this good mountain and the Levanon” (Deuteronomy 3:25).
In the torah portion of Shlach we read that Hashem says to Moshe “”Send out for yourself men who will scout ( LaToor) the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel.” (Numbers 13:1-2)
Yet in our portion of Devarim we read”… and they came to the valley of Eshkol and spied ( VaYiraglu) it out.” ( Deuteronomy 1:24)
What is the difference between “scouting out ( LaToor) the land” and “spying ( LeRagel ) it out”.
“‘ These are the journeys of the children of Israel who left the land of Egypt “(Bamidbar 33:1)” The Ba’al Shem Tov teaches that the words in the verse “These are the journeys of the children of Israel… teaches us that ” These forty-two “stations” from Egypt to the Promised Land are replayed in the life of every individual Jew, as his soul journeys from its descent to earth at birth to its return to its Source. It is also the journey of the people of Israel
Towards the end of the Torah portion of Matot that describes the importance of vows.and declares war on the divisiveness personified by Midian, we are confronted with the request of the tribes of Reuven and Gad.
The people of Reuven and Gad have been very successful and have amassed large flocks of sheep and possessions. They turned to Moshe and said : If we have found favor in your eyes, then let this land be given to your servants as an inheritance, and do not cause us to pass over the River Yarden (Bemidbar 32:1-5).
Day of MourningThe 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz is one of the fast days enumerated in the book of Zecharia(8:19) called the “fast of the fourth month”. In the Hellenistic mind set that has defined most of western thinking for over two thousand years, “Time” is viewed as a linear line moving from point A to point B. the Jewish and Biblical view of the world views specific dates and appointed times as gates through which time flows through in a cyclical and upward spiral fashion.
The tribes of Shimon and Levi have an unusual and tempestuous relationship. They were in fact a combustible twosome when together. In an act of anger and revenge they plot and carry out the murder of Shchem ben Chamor and his entire city because of his rape of their sister Dinah .
We read in the parsha the following account of the death of Miriam, the sister of Moshe, that Miriam”died there and was buried there” (Numbers 20:). The torah does not even offer even a minor description of the ensuing burial and mourning but immediately informs us that “there was no water for the people.” (Numbers 20:2)
When Moshe sent the twelve spies into the land to explore its strengths and weaknesses, ten came back with an evil report and Joshua and Calev declared that “the land is very very good”.
It is clear that Joshua had the strength to avoid the pitfall of the other spies because he received a special blessing when his name was changed from Hoshea to Yehoshuah ( Rashi, Sotah 34b) Yet Calev also did not fall prey to the disheartened spirit that felled the other ten spies. In fact we hear of Calev,”But as for My servant Caleb, since he was possessed by another spirit, and he followed Me, I will bring him to the land to which he came, and his descendants will drive it[s inhabitants] out.( Bamidbar /Numbers 14:24)
